1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of stand-alone vending machines, such as those conventionally used to vend round gum balls, M & M's, peanuts, cashews and other like food products. More particularly,the present invention is related to a vending machine with improved tamper resistance and with independent, interchangeable product compartments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Small, stand-alone, vending machines such as those conventionally used to vend gum balls, peanuts and other like food products, have been in use for many years. These devices, while they take different external forms, are typically fitted with a clear glass or plastic compartment or compartments which retain the product to be vended. The compartments are positioned over a aperture containing plate, which plate may be rotated, when the vending machine is operated, to position the aperture under a discharge opening provided in the compartment. The rotating plate may contain one or more apertures to facilitate discharge of the product. The typical vending machine also has associated therewith a coin box for the receipt of the cost of the product to be discharged.
In operation, a coin or coins is inserted in an external slot provided on the vending machine, which insertion allows a handle, having rotation about a horizontal access, to rotate. The handle is affixed to a gear which meshes with the aforementioned rotating plate. When the handle is rotated after the insertion of a coin, the rotating plate is caused to rotate such that the aperture contained in the plate is positioned between the discharge opening in the product compartment and a discharge chute provided in the machine which chute discharges the product through an external opening in the machine making the product available for receipt by the vending machine user.
While the devices know in the art have worked well and continue to work well for their intended purpose they do suffer from several defects when subject to the modern use. One such defect is the inability of most of the known machine to vend more than one product. Many of the known vending machines have only one compartment and therefore can only vend one product at a time, requiring several separate vending machines at a location that desires more than one product.
Even in the known vending machines that will vend more than one product, the different product containing compartments are interconnected in a way that results in the disturbance and possible contamination of the products or products when one or more of the products contained in the machine must be replaced or changed.
In addition, it is often the case that before one of the products is completely consumed, the user requests another product. In most of the prior devices, this may require human handling of the product to be removed resulting in the possible loss of product or the inability to re-use the unused and returned portion.
Furthermore, the product to be dispensed from the prior art devices may be frictionally engage by the rotating aperture containing plate and moved or shifted without being discharged. This will often result in the product be crushed or otherwise damaged leaving an unappealing impression on subsequent users of the device.
Finally, vending machines of the type referred to herein have been the target of vandal and others attempting to gain access to the product or coin box contained in the vending machine. This may result in loss of product or profit and at the very least results in a damaged and inoperable machine.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a product vending machine which will display and vend a plurality of products.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a vending machine which allows for the easy interchange of products to be vended.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a vending machine which avoids the contamination of vended product when on or more of same are changed or replenished.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a vending machine having separate storage compartments which may be easily installed, removed, replaced, shipped to the user's location and otherwise stored.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a vending machine which has improved tamper resistance.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a vending machine which causes little or no damage to the product vended.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification read together with the attached drawings.